The New Orleans Pelicans need to replace Derrick Favors on the cheap.
Derrick Favors was the New Orleans Pelicans primary center for 2019-20, but is unlikely to return unless he takes a huge paycut.
Someone may be willing to give Favors much more than the Pelicans, so they should try to replace his production with a center who isn’t taking up $17 million of cap space.
Let’s face it, that won’t be too hard, as Favors’ production was not close to his contract in terms of value.
Favors averaged 9 points, 9.8 rebounds and was worth 4.2 Win Shares total with 1.6 of them being for defense.
He was the anchor of the Pelicans’ defense at times, but looked washed down the stretch, and even at his best was really only good at defending the post and not much else.
Though Favors is still listed as a power forward, he played most of his minutes at center, illustrating how the importance of the position has diminished. Teams are playing smaller, faster and most don’t need much scoring from their bigs.
Centers who can’t stretch the floor had better be able to run it, defend the rim or block shots, or they won’t have much place in the modern NBA.
With no real game-changing free agents at the position, the Pelicans may choose to use a center by committee approach, or just find someone cheap who can fill the position and more or less replace Favors’ numbers so they can invest elsewhere.
The Pelicans won’t have a lot to spend after extending Brandon Ingram, and they have other needs as well, such as a defensive wing and possibly a backup point guard.
Jaxson Hayes may be the center of the future anyway, so the Pels would be foolish to invest too much in the position.
Here are four free agent centers who should be cheap and could act as a bridge to the future.
New Orleans Pelicans: Two free agent centers to replace Derrick Favors
These two guys are coming off massive contracts the likes of which they will never sniff again.
Both guys were overpaid on their last deals and haven’t come close to living up to them. Given their age and production, these two might be looking at veteran’s minimums if they want to play on a good team.
Ian Mahinmi- Washington Wizards
Mahinmi made $16 million this season, but is not going to get that contract again.
His numbers are similar to Favors, as he gets 7.4 points, 5.7 rebounds per game in 21.3 minutes. He isn’t as good as Favors overall, especially as a rebounder, but he gets 1.2 blocks per game, which is more than Favors this season.
He’s also bigger than Favors and would give the Pelicans some much-needed muscle down low.
He is 33-years-old, but still has something left in the tank and would be a good bridge to Jaxson Hayes. He may end up getting more than the veteran’s minimum, but should still be within the Pels’ range.
Bismack Biyombo- Charlotte Hornets
Biyombo was the beneficiary of the unexpected bump in the salary cap and got one of the most ridiculous contracts in the NBA.
He made a whopping $18 million this season and averaged 7.4 points, 5.8 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game. He had the same number of blocked shots per game as Favors, who played five minutes more per game.
Biyombo is long and athletic, though not a prototypical center in size. He is likely to end up on a low contract after not doing much for the Hornets, so the Pels could get him for cheap.
If the Pels wanted to go with a “center by committee” approach, he would be an interesting choice, as he can defend multiple positions and play in a lot of small-ball lineups.
Biyombo is still only 27-years-old and could benefit from a fresh start on a better team where he has a defined role.
New Orleans Pelicans: Two younger free agent centers to replace Derrick Favors
There are also a few free agents who fall into the “once had huge potential, haven’t lived up to it, but are still young” category.
These are guys who are producing similar numbers to Favors now, but are younger and still have some upside. These guys might be a little more expensive, but should still come on team-friendly contracts that could be hugely valuable if they improve.
Alex Len- Sacramento Kings
Alex Len was a huge bust in Phoenix and people have pretty much written him off, but he is only 27 and still has the pedigree of being the 5th pick in the draft.
Len is a legit 7-footer and averaged 8 points, 5.8 rebounds this season while making just $4.25 million. He doesn’t shoot 3-pointers , but he can be a decent shot blocker who has averaged 1.2 blocks per game for his career.
Len will probably never justify his selection in the draft, but could be a serviceable center for someone on the cheap.
Nerlens Noel- OKC Thunder
I’ve written about Noel a lot, so I won’t belabor the point, but he is one of my top free agent targets for the Pelicans.
Noel made just $2.02 million this season but is definitely going to get a raise, as he was one of the most efficient defensive players in the league.
Noel only played 18.5 minutes per game this season but still averaged 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He had 2.3 Defensive Win Shares compared to Favors’ 1.6 and is much more athletic.
Noel may have played himself into a bigger contract, but he could be a value pick up for the Pelicans and is only 26-years-old.
None of these four are going to get the Pelicans to the title, but they can replace Derrick Favors for less money and allow the Pels to invest their resources elsewhere.